Ginger Cookies

I must apologize for the lack of recipes this month. I spent the holidays in France with my family which was as a great, relaxing break. Cooking, however, is not something that I find myself taking much of a break from, but it was harder to document it, without the time or equipment. I've come back to Montreal full of ideas, and ready to try out some new things.. so be prepared for a few France-inspired recipes in the months to come!

Every time I'm able to go back home, I am reminded of just how much France has shaped my love of food. The cured meats, the cheeses, the salts, the olives oils are all the wonderful beginnings to the perfect meal... and when the start product is so good, it's hard to be disappointed with the end result.

This recipe was inspired by a new cookbook I got that's all about ginger. Ginger is one of those strong and pungent flavors that can really add something special to a recipe. It's a great staple of any stir-fry of course, but also works wonders with desserts. After reading about ginger, I had to get into the kitchen.. so here is the start of my ginger adventure. I tested recipes and came up with my own version of simple, cakey ginger cookies.

Ginger Cookies
Recipe (makes 25-30 cookies)
1 stick of unsalted butter
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of molasses
2 tsp of fresh grated ginger
1 egg
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp of baking soda
1 1/2 cup of flour
1/4 cup of diced crystallized ginger
2 tbs of granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 325 F. In a bowl, combine the softened butter and brown sugar. Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture until light and fluffy (2 minutes). Add the molasses, fresh ginger, and vanilla and beat until just combined. Add the egg and beat until just combined.

In a separate bowl, add the flour, cinnamon and baking soda and mix. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture, lightly beating until the mixture is homogeneous. Fold in the crystallized ginger. Form the dough into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Once the dough has chilled, form 1 inch balls, roll them in sugar and set on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12 minutes. Leave to cook on a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Ricotta and Lemon Cookies with Lemon Glaze

It seems that Christmas started even earlier than usual this year. The Christmas lights have been put up for weeks in downtown Montreal screaming for me to get into the kitchen and start baking. It took me a little while to get into the spirit, but I think I'm finally there. I had seen these little Giada de Laurentiis' cookies on Deborah's blog, and I immediately knew I wanted to try them. Ricotta and lemon are a true match made in heaven in my book, and ricotta is a great way to ensure that cookies and cakes stay moist and light. Light and moist they were. I am adding these to my holiday favorites.

Recipe (adapted from Giada de Laurentiis)
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lemon, zested

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:
Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Store in an air-tight container.

Classic Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know, you've probably seen a zillion chocolate chip cookie posts on a zillion different food blogs, so why should you care? Well, maybe because I've tested a lot of them. Maybe because sometimes you want a moist and soft chocolate chip cookie and you end up with a hard crackling cookie and you just don't know where the recipe failed you! First, let me share a little secret. I have a newfound love for chocolate shards. I always used to use chocolate chips to make cookies until one day, I found myself out of them. I used a good quality chocolate bar instead, and coarsely chopped pieces of dark goodness that I then folded into my batter. I've been making cookies like this ever since. Sure it takes a couple extra minutes to chop the chocolate, but the end result is a cookie where some pieces are melted and gooey and others are just specks of dark chocolate seeping throughout the dough.

Now for a good, reliable recipe. This one really did the trick. It's a recipe from the Martha Stewart Cookie book and the batter is the best cookie batter I've had yet. It's fluffy, sweet, but not too sweet and absolutely delicious. Should I confess that a few of these cookies-to-be were eaten raw? The cookies were delicious - so good in fact that we had to give them away because the pile of them was mysteriously getting smaller during the course of the day.

Recipe (makes about 3 dozens)
2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup of light brown sugar
1 teaspoon of coarse salt
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups of bittersweet chocolate shards (about 12 ounces)

Preheat your oven to 350F. Whisk together the flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and sugars. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy for 2-3 minutes. Reduce to low speed and add the salt, vanilla and eggs. Mix until just incorporated. Mix in the flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate.

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Leave a 2 inch space between each. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until the edges turn golden but the centers are still soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Let them cool on cooling racks. The cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Lime Meltaway Cookies

With Autumn in fall swing, all I want to do is bury myself under a warm blanket with a warm cup of tea. This vision might be very grandmother-y, but that's always the way I feel when the weather starts to change and the leaves start to turn. Montreal has this wonderful way of welcoming you to fall. In anticipation of many weeks of winter to come, the trees lend themselves to a spectacle of oranges, burgundy and browns. Our new apartment has a great view on the montain, and every morning it seems like a new tree has decided to rid itself of its greens. Every year I wonder which tree has mounted the necessary courage to change colors first without fear of ridicule...and like every great trend, its neighbhours then follow one by one.

These cookies fit my mood this weekend. They were easy to make and as promised did meltaway in your mouth leaving behind a lovely taste of sweet lime.

Recipe, adapted from Martha Stewart Cookies

Makes about 5 dozen

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) of unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup of confectioners' sugar

Finely grated zest of 2 limes

2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon of coarse salt

Put the butter and 1/4 cup of confectioners' sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy (about 4-5 minutes). Add the lime zest, juice and vanilla and mix until fluffy.

Whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt in a separate bowl. Add to the buttery mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.

Divide dough in half. Place each piece of dough on an 8 by 12 inch sheet of parchment. Roll in parchment to form a log. The dough will be a little sticky folding the dough in the parchment and rolling through the paper will help to form an even log. The log should be about 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Pressing a ruler along the edge of the parchment at each turn will help to make the log as round as possible. Once the log is formed and wrapped in the parchment, chill for at least an hour. Do the same with the other piece of dough. If you can chill the dough for 2 or 3 hours, it will make it that much easier to slice.

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Remove the parchment, and cut each log into 1/4 inch-thick rounds. Space rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 13 minutes rotating the sheet half way through. Once the cookies are cooked, transfer to wire racks and leave them to cool for about 10 minutes. While they are still warm, toss them in the remaining 2/3 cup of confectioners' sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.